


The Weight of Human Flesh

by WriteItSmall (scribblemyname)



Series: Comment Fic LiveJournal Stories [42]
Category: X-Men (Movieverse), X-Men: First Class (2011) - Fandom
Genre: Community: comment_fic, First Class, Gen, Mutation, Self-Defense, Shapeshifting, Sparring
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-07-14
Updated: 2014-07-14
Packaged: 2018-02-08 20:29:27
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 361
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1955154
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/scribblemyname/pseuds/WriteItSmall
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Erik was right, d— him, but he was also wrong, wrong, wrong.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Weight of Human Flesh

**Author's Note:**

  * For [mm8](https://archiveofourown.org/users/mm8/gifts).



> Written for mahmfic's prompt on the Comment Fic LJ comm: [X-Men First Class, Erik/Raven, The Fine Art of Pretending (book title)](http://comment-fic.livejournal.com/539148.html?thread=76771084#t76771084).

Raven didn't know what to think at first when Erik dumped the weights on top of her, and she'd felt the impact in her arms and wrists as her focus slipped and she turned blue. She was miffed for days every time she thought about. What did _he_ know about being a shapeshifter? It's not like she could fend off potential muggers in her blue form without attracting attention.  
  
She tried it. D— her, she did what he said and tried it, grappling and sparring with the first fellow mutant who'd let her.  
  
"Alex, you learning self-defense?" She'd asked in her blonde form, switched to blue, and attacked with the ferocity she'd never let go of after leaving the streets for Charles and his family.  
  
Alex swore as he went down for the count once, twice, again.  
  
He recovered and gave as good as he got—almost. It was easy for her, too easy in a way that kind of shocked her to flex and move and lunge out of the way and in for a punch or kick. All the practice they'd been racking up since Erik took over their self-defense training had been tough and pushed her body sometimes to almost weeping, but here she was flying through it like her body was liquid lightning.  
  
She backed up breathless and stared at Alex who was still rubbing at his hip where she'd certainly left a few bruises.  
  
"You weren't this good a week ago," he protested and peeked under the shirt to see if said bruises had formed yet.  
  
Raven hadn't even practiced this but twice since last week, and now she was noticeably better. She stared at her blue hands, rippled into pale pink flesh, and looked up at Alex. She'd been blonde last week. She'd been focused on staying blonde.  
  
Erik was right, d— him, but he was also wrong, wrong, wrong. Practicing with half of her concentration on her appearance had been like practicing with extra weights, longer, and harder. It had given her an edge the others didn't have.  
  
She grinned in her normal-looking skin and lifted her hands into a defensive posture. "Go again?"


End file.
